There was a last minute schedule change, so my time with Christian was probably less than 15-minutes total. Just long enough to get access to the show's archives while he was in-between flights.

I did converse with Yvon over lunch, however. Tremblay Bros. Studios has been busy, but because of the setbacks with the studios they've approached they've had to pursue other projects simultaneously, and are planning an announcement/debut in April for an original IP* they've gotten a financier** and distributor/studio*** for (not SWAT Kats...yet...but it's allowed them to make inroads with people they think could segue into SWAT Kats - but that's very tentative at the moment).

I did learn that one of the factors has been the items associated with SWAT Kats' premise: issues related to violence (STILL) have been an obstacle (e.g. jet fighters, missiles, explosions, etc.). Many executives also don't believe a new show would be popular outside of the United States. In order to adhere to these perceived obstacles, several SEVERE creative changes at the behest of these studios would've had to be met, and the Tremblays don't want to ruin SWAT Kats' creative integrity. This was a big reason for needing to get as close to $1million during the Kickstarter as possible, as it would've given the Tremblays much greater control in bypassing outside meddling.

I want to pin-down Christian for an on-camera statement later this month to confirm all of this, which I'm trying to coordinate the week after Christmas as that's when I'll next be in Los Angeles to coordinate an event with Television's Lance Falk (probably some more episode commentary).

I know... more delays. I'll try to get more information regarding that April date. Make sure to check @theswatkats on Twitter as that will be the place to find information: https://twitter.com/TheSWATKats

FYI, YouTube is usually our last place to update at (because making videos typically takes longer).

I know it's not much information.

*I was asked not to disclose the name of this or the premise, but without delving into specifics, it's a CGI feature length animation, original characters/designs. Probably a younger demographic than SWAT Kats. They had a several minute animation example fully rendered with voice actors and score that had some amusing lines.
** I was asked not to disclose who
*** I was asked not to disclose who, but it's a real one you've probably heard of that's been involved with other former HB properties and has been involved with major blockbusters this year (and several... less blockbustery TV shows, but whatever).

MoDaD wrote:I did learn that one of the factors has been the items associated with SWAT Kats' premise: issues related to violence (STILL) have been an obstacle (e.g. jet fighters, missiles, explosions, etc.).

Funny how you can get away with widespread destruction in pretty much every superhero blockbuster, but not something like SWAT Kats. Actually, I wouldn't mind if the show moved away from trashing Megakat City every episode--but only if the Tremblays made that decision voluntarily, not because it was forced on them.

MoDaD wrote:Many executives also don't believe a new show would be popular outside of the United States.

Huh. Don't we have fans from around the world on this site? Also, according to this TV Tropes page, SWAT Kats still has a following in India. And on top of that, action/adventure properties like SWAT Kats transcend national and cultural boundaries better than any other genre.

MoDaD wrote:In order to adhere to these perceived obstacles, several SEVERE creative changes at the behest of these studios would've had to be met, and the Tremblays don't want to ruin SWAT Kats' creative integrity.

Suggestion: Maybe the Tremblays could create a lighter and softer furry action show that would appeal to these studios. It might even be set in the SWAT Kats universe, so T-Bone and Razor could show up occasionally. Hey, it worked for The Sarah Jane Adventures!

MoDaD wrote:This was a big reason for needing to get as close to $1million during the Kickstarter as possible, as it would've given the Tremblays much greater control in bypassing outside meddling.

Well, Revolution got $141,500, almost three times its initial goal, which is pretty impressive for a sequel to a show that's over two decades old. But yeah, it would have been nice it they'd gotten even more. Anyway, my ideal would be if Revolution could be completely financed by the fans, so the Tremblays wouldn't have to worry about executives at all...

MoDaD wrote:I know it's not much information.

And we understand that it's all you're allowed to tell us right now. At least it's more info than we had. Thanks for sharing it with us!

MoDaD wrote:*** I was asked not to disclose who, but it's a real one you've probably heard of that's been involved with other former HB properties and has been involved with major blockbusters this year (and several... less blockbustery TV shows, but whatever).

Hmmm. That narrows it down. Involved with former HB properties, but not WB? Could it be the company that makes the Smurfs movies?

MoDaD wrote:*** I was asked not to disclose who, but it's a real one you've probably heard of that's been involved with other former HB properties and has been involved with major blockbusters this year (and several... less blockbustery TV shows, but whatever).

You know which company fits all these criteria? Marvel. The blockbusters are obvious. The phrase "less blockbustery TV shows" could refer to Inhumans, which hasn't done very well. And HB was the first company to do a Fantastic Four cartoon...

Violence is such a lame excuse. Turn on the news and kids will see it anyway. At lest in a show they'll know or should know it's fiction. And there's always justice in the end. The news is a cliffhanger in that department. And kids should know the difference between right and wrong and if they don't I really highly don't think they do bad things just cuz they saw it on tv. Kids seem to live in the moment of what they're feeling/ going through.
Now song. Music on the other hand have way to many sexual tones. Some I like and listen to myself but I really don't want to hear any of the students singing them. And while sexy isn't really a bad word like the F bomb but I've noticed a handful of people don't seem disturbed if a kid says it.

Thanks for this inside information, MoDad. It's very interesting to hear about the hurdles the show is facing right now. I would hope the Tremblay Brothers' response to these hurdles is to do their research into the market to counter arguments about what is profitable where. And maybe even tailor their pitch for future meetings.

I also hope that even though the creators do want a more mature series, the violence aspect isn't their main selling point. Violence or lack thereof doesn't make a good show. Story and characters do. You can have deep and intricate stories for older audiences without more mature content.

But this is also par for the course of selling a show. Stranger Things was rejected by at least 15 different networks before it was picked up. Sometimes you have to wait for the market or the right person with vision to pick it up. And I know the Tremblays are very tenacious in their desire to get this project off the ground. They are not going to stop pitching until the right person with the right vision picks it up. We just don't know when that will be.

If this is a topic people are interested in, MoDad asked me a little while back if I wanted to be a part of a podcast episode sometime in the future. I pitched to him a topic about the history of the market and genre that Swat Kats belong to and what the market looks like trying to pitch Swat Kats again today. He has yet to get back to me on whether he would like this for the podcast or not, most likely because we all know he is MEGA busy and has not time for my nonsense right now. But if Podcast listeners would be interested in this topic, maybe I'll bother him about it in a few weeks or after the holiday to see if its something he'd like to add to the show.

I find it ironic that they're having trouble promoting the sequel series on their end due to the more mature elements present, given how much policing is done here and on the Discord servers for pretty much the same damn thing.

EricoBard wrote:I find it ironic that they're having trouble promoting the sequel series on their end due to the more mature elements present, given how much policing is done here and on the Discord servers for pretty much the same damn thing.

It's not so much a matter of maturity, but more an issue of subject matter (e.g. the specific types of violence, not violence in-and-of-itself). For lack of a better descriptor, it's probably more political in nature, concerning issues of jet fighter aircraft being a focal point of the show, and the connotations of war and allusions to other things that are a larger factor in our society today. Without taking a side on it myself, I'd liken it to the controversies that surrounded Man of Steel.

marklungo wrote:You know which company fits all these criteria? Marvel. The blockbusters are obvious. The phrase "less blockbustery TV shows" could refer to Inhumans, which hasn't done very well. And HB was the first company to do a Fantastic Four cartoon...

It's not top tier like Marvel/Disney, but it's one of those in-between ones that you'll see their title card come up before the opening credits of the movie itself. But, they have done work for Disney and Fox in the past. I wouldn't bother guessing, because there's a lot of similar ones, and I wouldn't have guessed it myself.

Ty-Chou wrote:If this is a topic people are interested in, MoDad asked me a little while back if I wanted to be a part of a podcast episode sometime in the future.

Still a great idea, but if you'd prefer my involvement, I'll probably need at least 3 weeks.

Ty-Chou wrote:
I also hope that even though the creators do want a more mature series, the violence aspect isn't their main selling point. Violence or lack thereof doesn't make a good show. Story and characters do. You can have deep and intricate stories for older audiences without more mature content.

This is an interesting point that you are raising, particularly in that fans have an appetite for character development in a show that never really seemed geared toward that. The Swat Kats is primarily an action show that moves at a frenetic pace, has lots of violence and explosions, and plenty of lame jokes and puns. In my opinion this is actually a show that does not take itself seriously.

It is possible that the style the show wanted to have was something akin to the movie "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World," with potential for slapstick moments and absurd over-the-top destruction.

So the idea that we want to move into a model with more character depth is intriguing. If the show were more fleshed out and could have longer episodes rather than brief 20-minute shorts, it is certainly within its reach to do so. The question I have is, how far into that direction should it go? Should its primary focus be on the action and comedy, or should it focus more on drama and character development?

MoDaD wrote:I want to pin-down Christian for an on-camera statement later this month to confirm all of this, which I'm trying to coordinate the week after Christmas as that's when I'll next be in Los Angeles to coordinate an event with Television's Lance Falk (probably some more episode commentary).

Can't wait for that event! And no worries about it not being much information, any current information is a help in keeping the fandom up to date on why things are taking awhile. Not surprised they are as yeah, sometimes you have to take work and do projects before you can get on the one you really want due to needing funds.

Ty-Chou wrote:If this is a topic people are interested in, MoDad asked me a little while back if I wanted to be a part of a podcast episode sometime in the future. I pitched to him a topic about the history of the market and genre that Swat Kats belong to and what the market looks like trying to pitch Swat Kats again today. He has yet to get back to me on whether he would like this for the podcast or not, most likely because we all know he is MEGA busy and has not time for my nonsense right now. But if Podcast listeners would be interested in this topic, maybe I'll bother him about it in a few weeks or after the holiday to see if its something he'd like to add to the show.

I would be most interested in hearing more in depth about that, Ty. It would make for another good Auxiliary Panel podcast. There clearly IS a difference with how communication has changed over the years which has to have had changed how ideas are pitched.

EricoBard wrote:I find it ironic that they're having trouble promoting the sequel series on their end due to the more mature elements present, given how much policing is done here and on the Discord servers for pretty much the same damn thing.

Last time I checked, the forum and discord channels are fine with jet fighters, missiles and explosions. Unless the Tremblays intend on having characters being disemboweled in great detail or showing body parts flying in explosions, the violence that has been a problem then and now with studios is the same level as was in the original SWAT Kats series. So no, not the "same damn thing".

Jiesi wrote:Violence is such a lame excuse. Turn on the news and kids will see it anyway. At lest in a show they'll know or should know it's fiction. And there's always justice in the end. The news is a cliffhanger in that department. And kids should know the difference between right and wrong and if they don't I really highly don't think they do bad things just cuz they saw it on tv. Kids seem to live in the moment of what they're feeling/ going through.
Now song. Music on the other hand have way to many sexual tones. Some I like and listen to myself but I really don't want to hear any of the students singing them. And while sexy isn't really a bad word like the F bomb but I've noticed a handful of people don't seem disturbed if a kid says it.

TBF: there's the whole Animation Age Ghetto thing here in the U.S. It's been around since about World War II so it has a lot of cultural inertia behind it. Even I have fallen prey to said ghetto before.

Plus the investors might be busy people so they might not have time to look at a lot of series and thus miss or otherwise accidentally overlook the more intense ones.

Basically, I'm bummed about this development as much as the rest of you. But the investors can't really be blamed since they were molded by the current cultural zeitgeist around animation.